The present invention relates to the preparation of homogeneous mixtures from liquid components, in particular foodstuffs, and it relates, more particularly, to the production of beverages, in particular aerated beverages, in an in-line arrangement, i.e. the apparatus for the preparation according to the invention directly feeds the packaging plant, in particular the bottling plant, or the like.
It is known that, in order to ensure an effective mixing of product components which may have different viscosities, it is necessary to carry out forceful churning of the mixture, and this is generally provided by turbulences. In instances of varying speeds and stoppages of the inflow of the mixture, said churning abates, which results in undesirable variations in the proportions or composition and homogeneity of the end product.
In order to overcome this difficulty, present practice involves the use of buffer flasks, of a larger or smaller volume and arranged between the production apparatus and the packaging system (bottle-filling machine), in order to prevent excessive stoppages and in order to counteract variations in input or homogeneity resulting from alternating stoppage and re-starting phases. Such known equipment involves storage problems associated with the control of the buffer stock of the product and also with the cleaning procedure when the products are to be changed.
On the basis of this state of the art, which is not entirely satisfactory, the applicants intend to provide an apparatus for the production of beverages, in particular aerated beverages, which will meet the following objects:
the production of the beverage must be carried out in-line from different components, taking up minimal space, prior to feeding the bottle-filling machine;
it must be possible to include means for dissolving a gas (CO2) in the liquid, for saturation, in order to produce aerated beverages;
the apparatus must permit direct feeding of a racking device which operates at variable flow rates involving stoppage and re-starting phases, the racking device being provided with rate controllers which ensure sequential re-starts;
it must be possible to obtain a constant percentage saturation, whatever the variations in the flow-rate;
it must provide maximum reliability in respect of the proportions of the different components or constituents and in respect of their blending into a homogeneous product, in which the proportions of the various constituents must not change during stoppages and restarts;
the quantity of finished product in the apparatus must be kept to a minimum, and
in-line cleaning of the apparatus must be possible, readily carried out and ensure the highest degree of hygiene.
These objects are met by a production apparatus wherein a dynamic saturation/blending loop, having a small volume, is incorporated, in a feed line feeding a bottle-filling machine, between a feeding pump of the latter, and the bottle-filling machine, in which loop the mixture circulates continuously and which comprises:
a pump, which upstream receives inflowing constituents (driving and driven products) prior to being mixed, said pump ensuring a minimum flow rate which is higher than a flow rate of the bottle-filling machine, and ensuring the circulation of the mixture in said dynamic loop,
a storing loop, the capacity of which is adapted to the flow rate and to the prepared product, and
a separator, which ensures the delivery of a homogeneous mixture for feeding the bottle-filling machine.
In particular, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for the preparation of homogeneous mixtures from liquid components which may have different viscosities, in particular with a view to the production of beverages, wherein a dynamic saturation/blending loop, having a small volume, is incorporated in a feed line feeding a bottle-filling machine, between a feeding pump of the latter, and the bottle-filling machine, in which loop a saturation/blending mixture, having a reduced volume, circulates continuously and which comprises:
a pump which upstream receives inflowing constituents (driving and driven products) prior to being mixed, said pump ensuring a minimum flow rate which is higher than a flow rate of the bottle-filling machine, and ensuring the circulation of the mixture in said dynamic loop,
a storing loop, the capacity of which is adapted to the flow rate and to the prepared product, and
a separator, which ensures the delivery of a homogeneous mixture toward the feed line for feeding the bottle-filling machine.
According to a feature of the present invention, which is applicable for mixtures of highly viscous liquid products, a mixer is provided and is arranged upstream of the pump of the loop and receives the constituents to be mixed.
The invention permits the production of aerated beverages and, in that case, the apparatus comprises means for introducing and dissolving gas, in particular CO2, in said homogeneous mixture of constituents, which means are incorporated between the inlet into the loop and the pump of the loop, or immediately upstream of said pump, and are designed to be a saturator having a non-return valve, incorporated in the liquid flow stream in order to prevent any liquid from flowing back into a supply pipe for the gas, and a static mixer, provided on said dynamic loop, for ensuring the dispersion of the gas in the homogeneous liquid mixture.
According to a preferred embodiment of said saturator, it comprises a body in which is disposed an upstream venturi tube having an axial pipe for the injection of gas, which pipe communicates with a diffusion neck which is provided with radial nozzles and is fitted with a non-return ring of an elastic material, in particular an elastomer material.
In addition, it is possible for the apparatus according to the invention to comprise:
control valves in respect of pressure losses at the outlet of the dynamic loop, in order to adjust the pressure in the saturator and in the direction of the bottle-filling machine;
one or more means for in-line metering, disposed at an outlet from said dynamic loop or in said loop before said saturator;
wide-range modulating valves for the flow rate in the system feeding the products (driven products) prior to being mixed with the driving product (generally water);
precision flow meters in the systems feeding the driving and the driven products, and
pressure-reducing valves in lines feeding the driven product, which ensure a constant pressure downstream of said modulating valves.
The invention also provides an automated process for the above-mentioned plant, which process may, in particular, comprise the following steps:
a proportional control, on the basis of a proportion-calculating algorithm, between a flow rate of finished product used by a bottle-filling machine and the respective flow rates of the driven products, the automatic control producing set percentages for the injection of driven products, as a factor depending on the finished product bottled;
correction of the proportion, depending on the final metering;
producing the parameters of the driven products, stored per product to be produced, in order to permit an automatic control of the plant depending on the product to be packaged;
control of the quantity of product to be prepared;
use of warning signals produced by the automatic control when variations in the finished product are detected, on the basis of predetermined high and low thresholds, accompanied by stoppage of the bottle-filling operation and automatic recycling, and
stopping the circulation of liquids in a dynamic loop in the event of an interruption in the bottle-filling operation or in the event of a warning signal, with a pump of the dynamic loop stopping after a time delay, so as to prevent the temperature from rising in the dynamic loop.
In particular, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a process for the automation of the apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, which comprises the following steps:
a) a proportional control, on the basis of a proportion-calculating algorithm, between the flow rate of finished product, measured by a flow meter, used by the bottle-filling machine and the respective flow rates of the driven products, also measured by flow meters, the automatic control producing set percentages or set points for the injection of driven products, as a factor depending on the finished product bottled, the meterings obtained from the metering loop or loops (dissolved CO2, etc.) being used as automatic-control/correction when the flow rate is stable, with the last correction measured prior to a variation in the flow rate being taken into consideration during phase s in which there is a variation in the flow rate;
b) producing the parameters of the driven products, stored per product to be produced, in order to permit an automatic control of the plant depending on the product to be packaged or bottled;
c) control of the quantity of product to be prepared;
d) use of warning signals produced by the automatic control when variations in the finished product are detected, on the basis of predetermined high and low thresholds, accompanied by stoppage of the bottle-filling operation and automatic recycling, and
e) stopping the circulation of liquids in the dynamic loop in the event of an interruption in the bottle-filling operation or in the event of a warning signal, with the pump of the dynamic loop stopping after a time delay, so as to prevent the temperature from rising in the dynamic loop.